The present invention relates generally to the programming or configuration of human machine interfaces. More particularly, the invention relates to a technique for accessing information from a controller or other device by an interface and providing the information to a configuration station for programming of the interface.
A wide range of applications exist in industry, and in many other settings for human machine interfaces. A human machine interface (HMI) is generally an electronic device that allows a user to view the status of a machine or process. Certain interfaces may allow the user also to interact with the process by inputting information, commands, values and ranges, and so forth. Many improvements have been made in HMI's over the past years, particularly enhancing their functionality in terms of access to and reporting of information. Other advances have been made in the interoperability of HMI's with other components, particularly control systems.
One difficulty in programming configurable HMI's is in establishing reliable connections between the HMI's and other components. Such connections, in the present context, consist of addresses from which data can be acquired, and addresses to which data can be written. In general, an HMI may be interfaced, either directly or via a network, with various types of controllers, sensors, actuators, remote control systems, and so forth. Such other devices may contain memory registers from which data can be read, and to which data can be written during operation of the HMI. This interoperability is extremely important insomuch as it enables the HMI to perform complex reporting and calculation functions, both to a user of viewing a screen on the HMI, and to remote users and even control devices based upon accessed and computed information from the HMI.
Typical configuration of an HMI in the past, to establish such connections has relied upon prior knowledge of specific register addresses in interconnected components. Very little has been done to facilitate this process, although certain components, such as industrial controllers, may have the ability to list registers when accessed by remote equipment. Configuration of HMI's, however, has not been facilitated by improvements in connection configuration when coupled to controllers or other remote components. There is a need, therefore, for improved techniques and HMI's that facilitate such configuration. There is a particular need for a new approach to configuration that would allow HMI's to be rapidly and accurately configured based upon information already stored in networked components, such as industrial controllers.